i am a self-defined Nuyorican creative (that is a Puerto Rican who is from both the isles of Manhattan, NYC and the Caribbean). I share daily in the joy of education and live in a cute port town in New York, in a 'teensy-weensy' apartment with my two dogs and canary named Valentino. Check out my Etsy shop for purchasable pieces. Please do not reproduce imagery off of this site without explicit credit and no derivatives may be made of my original imagery- Thank You.

My coughing bouts are becoming less frequent, but I am still so exhausted and my diaphragm hurts! But I have so much to share with you all, I had to force myself to get on the computer and update this blog! Now I know MLK day has come and gone, but I believe this video is fitting for today's inauguration...since when Martin Luther King Jr. spoke one of his most famous speeches it was at the Lincoln Memorial which faces directly opposite The Mall where Mr. Barack Obama accepted his Presidency today. For a moment just imagine the past speaking to the present. Our collective responsibility towards freedom is not a new - but is a vital and true concept- how can we have forgotten? The Dwight-Englwood's Tribute to MLK and his day on this day!: (its only 7minutes and you'll need volume, and if you look real close you might see me!)

The Story:

For Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year a committee I am a part of was charged with running the school assembly. I felt strongly that there are such amazing parts of the 'I have a dream' speech that we never hear, instead we hear the 'I have a dream' line over and over. Our Committee met as committee's do- it was productive (dare I say, unlike most mtgs) and this is what happened:

The photography teacher (John McCabe) at the school in which I work (The Dwight-Englewood School)took an idea from the Spanish/Ethics teacher (Joseph Murphy), who is a co-member with me on the Cultural Diversity committee and brought it to life! The idea that Mr. Murphy pitched to the committee was to make a 'will. i. am' inspired video for MLK day, our committee said 'yeah! Lets make it happen', we all got to work with the logistics and John McCabe got to the real work! Here is the result - an amazing video that many of my students and I were a part of! Thanks John! Hope you enjoyed it's heartfelt, raw, and unnerving creative message.